124 THE MICROSCOPE. Aug. 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



"Spitting" in Indiana. — The Indiana State Board of 

 Health has issued a circular letter to all railroad officials 

 asking- them to have ejected from their trains every man 

 who persists in spitting- on the floor of the cars or stations 

 after he has been warned not to do so. In the circular the 

 board explains that the sputum contains the g-erms of la 

 grippe, nasal catarrh, and various other diseases. It also 

 declares that "spitting- is a nasty ^ud unnecessary habit," 

 and explains that the Board of Health will pass arule against 

 spitting- which will have all the force of law if the railroads 

 will post it up and endeavor to enforce it. The circular 

 adds: "When the rule is first published and posted up in 

 public placet this board will, of course, be loudly abused 

 as foolish, impracticable and idiotic. Attention thus being- 

 g-ained, we will publish in every county reason for the 

 action." "Such a reform as the Indiana health officers have 

 undertaken is needed in every part of the United States. 



Ulcerative Endocarditis Caused by the Gonococcus — 

 Gonorrheal Septicemia. — Thayer and Blumer (Bulletin 

 of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, April, 189f)) g-ive a resume 

 of the literature bearing- upon the subject, and report a 

 case in which bacteria corresponding- in every way to the 

 g-onococcus were found in' the vegetations on the mitral 

 valves. The valvular lesions were typically those of acute 

 ulcerative endocarditis. Cultures made during- life from 

 the blood which was removed by a sterile syringe from 

 the median basilic vein g-ave a diplococcus, identified as 

 the g-onococcus. The cultures were made by mixing- a 

 larg-e quantity of blood with liquefied nutrient ag-ar-ag-ar, 

 by a method corresponding to that of Wertheim. 



The Dangers of a Scratch, — Scarcely a day passes that 

 many persons in some way or other, g-et a scratch, a small 

 cut, or a bruise that may break the skin. In most instan- 

 ces not the slig-htcst attention is paid to this beyond the 

 temporary annoyance of the pain and the possible irrita- 

 tion when the hands arc put into water, or some subse- 



